Open display refrigerators including weirs

ABSTRACT

An open display refrigerator is provided, comprising: a refrigerated interior space, air in the refrigerated interior space being separated from air in a space exterior to the open display refrigerator by an air curtain established by a fan which blows air through an air outlet towards a corresponding air inlet which recovers air from the air curtain for recirculation to the air outlet; and a weir screen positioned proximal to the exterior space relative to the air inlet, wherein the weir screen is moveable between a retracted position in which the weir screen does not limit access to a base of the refrigerator and a deployed position in which the weir screen acts as a barrier to prevent air from the air curtain spilling into the exterior space.

The invention relates to improvements in open display refrigerators.

Open display refrigerators are commonly used in retail environments, such as supermarkets and grocery stores. An open display refrigerator allows customers to view and readily access chilled goods that are stored within the refrigerator.

This type of refrigerator has an air curtain, which is established by blowing cold air across the front of the refrigerator. The air curtain issues from an air outlet at the top of the refrigerator towards an air inlet at the bottom of the refrigerator. The air inlet recovers air from the air curtain and recirculates it to the air outlet via a cooling heat exchanger and fan.

The air curtain prevents cold air in the refrigerator from mixing with warm air exterior to the refrigerator. However, it is rather inefficient, in particular because the air curtain tends to spill out from the bottom of the refrigerator and warm air from the exterior becomes entrained into the air curtain. To overcome this problem, open display refrigerators often use a weir screen (also known as a riser), located on the base deck of the refrigerator and in front of the air inlet, to prevent the air curtain from spilling out from the bottom of the refrigerator.

The base deck of open display refrigerators is often used for bulky products and/or for products that are left in shipping boxes. In addition to the weir screen, there is often a shelf above the base deck. The combination of the weir screen and the shelf reduces the space available for loading and often makes it difficult to load the base deck with the bulky products and/or with products that are left in shipping boxes. As supermarkets and grocery stores need be able to load refrigerators quickly, this means that some stores do not use weir screens for preventing the air curtain from spilling out of the bottom of the refrigerator. This in turn leads to air from the air curtain spilling into the shop aisle, which is uncomfortable for shoppers and staff and is wasteful of energy.

Some refrigerators without weir screens have cold-air retrieval systems at the lower front part of the refrigerator in order to collect cold air which spills from the refrigerator. These systems add cost to the refrigerator, require maintenance and add to running costs.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an open display refrigerator, with a weir screen for preventing the air curtain from spilling out from the bottom of the refrigerator, which also allows easy access to the base deck of the refrigerator for loading.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an open display refrigerator comprising a refrigerated interior space, air in the refrigerated interior space being separated from air in a space exterior to the open display refrigerator by an air curtain established by a fan which blows air through an air outlet towards a corresponding air inlet which recovers air from the air curtain for recirculation to the air outlet; and a weir screen positioned proximal to the exterior space relative to the air inlet, wherein the weir screen is moveable between a retracted position in which the weir screen does not limit access to a base of the refrigerator and a deployed position in which the weir screen acts as a barrier to prevent air from the air curtain spilling into the exterior space.

By making the weir screen moveable between a retracted position and a deployed position, the weir screen allows easy access to the base deck of the refrigerator in the retracted position and captures cold air in the deployed position so that it can be recovered by the air inlet and does not spill from the refrigerator. This capture of cold air overcomes the problems of spilt cold air creating an uncomfortable temperature for shoppers and staff and of wasting energy, whilst at the same time allowing easy loading of the base deck of the refrigerator.

In essence, the weir screen is moveable between deployed and retracted positions, wherein when in the deployed position, the weir screen enhances the recovery of air from the air curtain by the air inlet relative to the retracted position by preventing air (especially air in the vicinity of the air inlet) from spilling out of the refrigerator, and wherein when in the retracted position the weir screen provides less restriction to accessibility of the base deck of the refrigerator relative to the deployed position.

When in the retracted position, the weir screen does not limit (or allows easier) access to the base of the refrigerator by allowing level access to the base. That is, a product can be placed on the base by moving it along a level without it meeting any obstruction (or, at least, any significant obstruction) from the weir screen. To achieve this, the weir screen, when in the retracted position, typically lies at the same level or at a lower level than the base of the refrigerator, although a slight protrusion of the weir screen above the level of the base of the refrigerator can be accepted in many circumstances.

Limit is a broad term that essentially means that it is easier to access the base of the refrigerator when the weir screen is in the retracted position than when the weir screen is in the deployed position. A weir screen that partially obstructs, restricts or constrains access to the base of the refrigerator in the retracted position also falls within the scope of this invention, provided that access to the base of the refrigerator is enhanced when the weir screen is in the retracted position relative to when it is in the deployed position.

In both the deployed and retracted positions, the weir screen remains coupled to the refrigerator (i.e. it is non-removable from the refrigerator in normal use). Typically, the weir screen meets the refrigerator along a lower edge and the two side edges of the weir screen.

The base of the refrigerator typically lies at the same level or lower than the lower edge of the weir screen and/or the air inlet.

The weir screen may be rotatable about a hinge coupling it to the refrigerator such that it can move between the retracted position and the deployed position and/or the weir screen may be slidable between the retracted position and the deployed position. Also, the weir screen may comprise a plurality of slats hinged together and/or the weir screen may be formed of a single piece of material. The slidable weir screen may be disposed within a couple of recesses, the recesses located in either side of the refrigerator. In some variations, the weir screen may comprise a static portion and a portion comprising a plurality of slats, such that, the top half of the weir screen can be rotated about a hinge; alternatively the top half of the weir screen may be static and the bottom half of the weir screen may be rotated about a hinge. A weir screen may be formed from a single piece of material in which natural hinges are formed to produce a plurality of slats; such an arrangement can be realised, for example, by laser cutting or engraving the single piece of material to thin the material to form each of the natural hinges such that the plurality of slats are defined. Other methods known in the art, such as chemical etching, wet sand blasting, mechanical etching or engraving may also be used to form the slats and/or hinges. In some variants, the plurality of slats may be connected by a cable, which may be used to move the slats. In some variations, this cable may be attached to a motor to move the plurality of slats between the retracted and the deployed positions. In some variants a rollable plurality of slats is used, in other variants the plurality of slats do not roll and the entire slidable weir screen is received in the base of the refrigerator or under the refrigerator. The plurality of slats enables structures similar to and including a roller shutter, a bi-fold door or a tri-fold door to be realised.

Where the weir screen is rotatable about a hinge, there may be one hinge or a plurality of hinges with co-axial axes of rotation connecting the weir screen to the refrigerator. The hinge or hinges may be located along the edge of the weir screen adjacent the air inlet, typically the lower edge. The hinges may take up the whole of the length of an edge or a portion of the edge such as a half or a quarter of the edge. In one variant, a hinge pair is provided at each end of the weir screen, each hinge pair being received in a respective recess in the refrigerator. In some variants, the hinges may be made of the same material as the slats and may be integral to the slats. In another variant, there may be one or more hinges along a side edge of the weir screen and one or more hinges along the lower edge of the weir screen, the hinges being removably attached, so that a user may rotate the weir screen about an axis that is in a plane with the side of the refrigerator (i.e. substantially vertical) or about an axis that is in a plane with the lower edge of the refrigerator (i.e. substantially horizontal) depending on which hinge is attached to the refrigerator. In another variant the weir screen may comprise two parts, with respective hinges located along the two side edges where the weir screens meet the side of the refrigerator, such that a “saloon” or swinging door arrangement is achieved; there may be an attachment mechanism, such as a clip, bolt or magnet in the middle of the “saloon door” arrangement to keep the doors in the deployed position.

The hinge may comprise a continuous hinge. An advantage of using a continuous hinge is that such a hinge can be retrofitted to existing refrigerators, as indeed can any hinge that can be fitted to an edge of an existing weir screen and to the refrigerator. In another variant, the hinge may comprise a pin on either side of the weir screen and a receiving hole in the body of the refrigerator where the weir screen meets the sides of the refrigerator (the opposite arrangement of pins and holes is also contemplated). The pair of pins can provide an axis about which the weir screen can rotate. The pins may also be disposed within a channel, wherein in the deployed position the pins are located in an indent in the channel. A user may be able to remove the pins from the indent (for example by retracting them or by force) which allows the pins to engage with the channel and the weir screen to be slidably moveable between the deployed and retracted positions.

In the retracted position, it is preferable that the weir screen does not block the air inlet so that at least some of the air of the air curtain continues to recover by air inlet.

It is preferable that the weir screen is always connected or coupled to the refrigerator, independent of the system that is used to attach the weir screen to the refrigerator.

The weir screen may take one of many positions when in the retracted position, for example the weir screen may be perpendicular, or substantially perpendicular, to the air inlet in the retracted position, or parallel, or substantially parallel, to the air curtain in the retracted position. In some variants the weir screen may also lie at the level of the base of the refrigerator in the retracted position or the weir screen may lie below the level of the base of the refrigerator in the retracted position. In some variants, the weir screen may be located in a pocket or container in the base of the refrigerator in the retracted position; this pocket or container may also be external to the refrigerator.

The weir screen may be rotatable so that at least a part of the weir screen is disposed in the interior of the refrigerator when the weir screen is in the retracted position. Alternatively, the weir screen may be rotatable so that at least a part of the weir screen is disposed externally to the refrigerator when the weir screen is in the retracted position.

A portion of the weir screen may be retained in the body of the open display refrigerator when the weir screen is in the retracted position. Alternatively, a portion of the weir screen may be retained outside of the body of the open display refrigerator when the weir screen is in the retracted position.

The plurality of slats may comprise one, two, three, four, ten, fifty, a hundred or any other number of individual slats. The plurality of slats may move in a plane that is substantially the same or similar to that of the air curtain, i.e. wherein a distal end of the plurality of slats is closer to the air outlet and a proximal end of the plurality of slats is closer to the air inlet in the deployed position. Alternatively the plurality of slats may move in a different plane, such that the plurality of slats moves in a substantially horizontal manner. The roller shutter, bi-fold and tri-fold doors may be deployed in a similar manner.

The weir screen may be formed from a see-through plastic such as acrylic or polycarbonate. In other variations a metallic weir screen may be used. Any suitable material known in the art is contemplated for the weir screen.

The weir screen may further comprise one or more receiving features configured to correspond to and receive a product and/or a product container when the weir screen is in the retracted position.

The receiving features may be any combination of grooves, protrusions or lips around the edge of the weir screen. These features may correspond to grooves or protrusions on a product and/or product container to be loaded. The receiving features may form guiding channels to allow the product and/or product container to be loaded more quickly as the product and/or product container can be aligned with the receiving features and slid into the desired position on the base deck. Lips around the edge of the weir screen may prevent products and/or product containers that have been placed on the weir screen prior to loading onto the base deck from being knocked off the weir screen.

The weir screen may further comprise a motor coupled to the weir screen to move the weir screen between the retracted position and the deployed position and/or may be retained by a bolt and/or a clip in the deployed position. The motor may be coupled to the weir screen via a worm drive and gear, a gear and chain or any other arrangement know to those skilled in the art.

The open display refrigerator may further comprise an air curtain guide for guiding the flow of air within the air curtain and the air curtain guide may be in the form of an aerofoil. The air curtain guide may further comprise at least one light source disposed in the air curtain guide so as to illuminate the interior refrigerated storage space.

The air curtain guide may further comprise a recess in which the light source is disposed. The light source may also be arranged to be flush with the surface of the air curtain guide and/or the light source may have a curved profile to substantially match that of the air curtain guide.

The air curtain guide may further comprise a front portion, wherein the front portion comprises a housing formed of a transparent plastic material for displaying at least one product label.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a conventional open display refrigerator without a fixed screen;

FIG. 2 shows the open display refrigerator of FIG. 1 fitted with a fixed screen;

FIG. 3 shows how the fixed screen of FIG. 2 restricts access for loading;

FIG. 4 shows an open display refrigerator with a moveable screen according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section through a conventional open display refrigerator 1. The refrigerator has an interior space 2 which is maintained at a lower than ambient temperature. Within the interior space 2, there are five shelves 3 a-3 e. The refrigerator 1 establishes an air curtain by blowing cold air from an air outlet 4 towards an air inlet 5. Air inlet 5 recovers air from the air curtain and a fan (not shown) within the refrigerator 1 recirculates the air to the air outlet 4 via a cooling heat exchanger (not shown) within the refrigerator 1 which maintains the recirculated air (and hence the air blown through the air outlet 4 to form the air curtain) at a desired temperature. The desired temperature is chosen to be lower than ambient and acts to prevent cold air in the interior space 2 from mixing with warm air exterior to the refrigerator 1.

The first arrow 6 shows the general path of the air curtain flowing from the air outlet 4 to the air inlet 5 and the second arrow 7 shows how some of the air in the air curtain spills out of the refrigerator when a weir screen is not present.

FIG. 2 shows a similar open display refrigerator 1 to that of FIG. 1, but with a fixed weir screen 12 attached proximate the air inlet. The first arrow 6 again shows the general path of the air curtain flowing from the air outlet 4 to the air inlet 5. The second arrow 8 shows how the air that would have spilled out of the refrigerator without the weir screen 12 (like arrow 6 in FIG. 1) is now retained behind the weir screen 12 and also flows into the air inlet 5.

FIG. 3 shows the same open display refrigerator 1 to that of FIG. 2. The close proximity of the bottom shelf 3 e and the fixed weir screen 12 makes it difficult to load the product 9 onto the base deck 10.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of an open display refrigerator 13, in accordance with the present invention. A weir screen 11 is attached with a hinge 14 proximate the air inlet 5 at the lower edge of the weir screen 11. This hinge allows the weir screen 11 to be moved between an upright, deployed, position and a retracted position. When the weir screen 11 is in the upright position, the air curtain flows from the air outlet 4, is retained by the weir screen 11 and flows into the air inlet 5. When loading a product, onto the base deck 10, the weir screen 11 is moved into the retracted position, the product is loaded and the weir screen 11 is returned back to the upright position. 

1. An open display refrigerator, comprising: a refrigerated interior space, air in the refrigerated interior space being separated from air in an exterior space of the open display refrigerator by an air curtain established by a fan which blows air through an air outlet and towards an air inlet which recovers air from the air curtain for recirculation to the air outlet, the air inlet being disposed in a bottom portion of the open display refrigerator; and a weir screen in the bottom portion of the open display refrigerator, the weir screen being moveable between a retracted position in which the weir screen does not limit access to a base of the refrigerator and a deployed position in which the weir screen acts as a barrier to prevent air from the air curtain spilling into the exterior space.
 2. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen is rotatable about a hinge coupling it to the refrigerator such that it can move between the retracted position and the deployed position.
 3. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen is slidable between the retracted position and the deployed position.
 4. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen comprises a plurality of slats hinged together.
 5. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen is formed of a single piece of material.
 6. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen is perpendicular to the air inlet in the retracted position.
 7. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen is parallel to the air curtain in the retracted position.
 8. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen lies at the level of the base of the refrigerator in the retracted position.
 9. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen lies below the level of the base of the refrigerator in the retracted position.
 10. The open display refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the weir screen is configured to slide into the body of the refrigerator when the weir screen is moved from the deployed position to the retracted position.
 11. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen further comprises one or more receiving features configured to correspond to and receive a product and/or a product container when the weir screen is in the retracted position.
 12. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising a motor coupled to the weir screen to move the weir screen between the retracted position and the deployed position.
 13. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the weir screen is retained by a bolt and/or a clip in the deployed position.
 14. The open display refrigerator of claim 1, further comprising an air curtain guide configured to guiding the flow of air within the air curtain.
 15. The open display refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the air curtain guide is an airfoil.
 16. The open display refrigerator of claim 14, further comprising a light source disposed in the air curtain guide that is configured to illuminate the refrigerated interior space.
 17. The open display refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the air curtain guide further comprises a front portion that includes a housing formed of a transparent plastic material configured to display a product label. 